Ship&#39;s dining-table.



C. KERKHOF.

SHiPS DINSNG TABLE.

APgLlcATaoN FILED Nov.23, 1914.

1,192,070e Patented Ju1y25, 1916.

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murals se@ CORNELIUS KERKHOF, OF HACKENSACK, NEVI JERSEY.

SH'IPS DINING-TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Application filed November 23, 1914. Serial No. 873,612.

T0023 107mm it may concern Be it known that I, CoRNnLUs Kimm-10F,subject of the Queen of Holland, residing at Hackensack, in the countyof Bergen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements vin Ships Dining- Tables; and l do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to a ships dining table and is in the nature ofan improvement on my table claimed in the application filed Sept. 23,1914, S. N. 863,132.

An object of the invention is to provide a table of this character whichwill be selfleveling under all conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for holding thetable in fixed relation to the floor when it is desirable.

1With these and other objects in view, such as will appear as thedescription progresses, my invention comprises the combination andarrangement of parts as set forth in and falling within the scope of theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the table. Fig. 5 is asectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing wherein like parts are indicated by likecharacters throughout the several views z-my device comprises a tableboard 1 which is of rectangular formation and is transversely braced bymetallic strips 2. Secured to the under face of the said board 1 and atthe middle thereof is a plate 3 preferably circular in formation andhaving a semi-spherical member 4 secured thereto. This member 4 issupported in a collar 5 and rests upon a plurality of ball-bearings 6 inthe said collar so that the said member may have universal movement onthe ball-bearings and thus impart universal movement to the board 1.This collar 5 is supported on a plurality of downwardly diverging legs 7which are secured to the floor, as at 8.

A rod 9 is in threaded engagement with the member 4 and extendsldownwardly through the collar 5 and has a weight 10 on the lower endthereof, which weight normally swings free and tends to maintain thetable board 1, by action of gravity, in a horizontal position.

ln order that the motion of this weight may be gradual, l have securedat diametrically opposite points thereon coil springs 11 so as to havemovement transversely of the table board. Each of these rods 16 extendsdownwardly into a leg 17 which is of hollow formation and is secured tothe floor by brackets 1S, said rods serving to prevent the board fromrotating, but permitting the same to sway.

A plate 19 is secured to the upper end of each of these legs and has anelongated hole 20 therein, the long axis of which extends parallel tothe long axis of the table board and the other axis of which is slightlygreater than the diameter of the rod 16 so that the said rod may havegreater swinging movement longitudinally of the board 1 thantransversely thereof.

In order that the weight 1() may be covered, l have provided a covering21 which incases the said weight and legs 7 and thus presents a neatappearance.

Tn order that the table may be maintained rigidly in a horizontalposition when the water on which the ship is travelin' is smooth, T haveprovided on each of theegs 17 a T-shaped brace 22 having alongitudinally extending slot 23 in the shank portion thereof. Thisshank portion is mounted `upon the legs and slidable thereon and isclamped in any of its adjusted positions by means of thumb screws 24which are in threaded engagement with the legs 17 and which bind uponthe shank of the member 22.

ln operation as the ship in which the device is installed rolls, thetable board 1 maintains a horizontal position irrespective of whetherthe rolling is longitudinally of the ship or transversely thereof.

lWhile l have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of myinvention, I

have merely done so for the sake of convenience and I do not Wish to belimited to that particular embodiment as it is obvious that numerouschanges may be made in the details of construction thereof without inany way departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A ships table comprising a table board, a semi-spherical membersecured to the lower face and centrally thereof, a collar, a pluralityof legs for supporting said eollar, a plurality of ball-bearings in saidcollar, the said spherical member being constructed and arranged to besupported by the bearings for universal movement, a rod secured to saidspherical member and eX- tending downwardly through said collar, av

weight on the lower end of said rod, springs attached to said weight andconstructed and arranged to be attached to the floor at opposite sidesof the weight, legs located adj aeent the ends of the table board andhaving their lower ends rigidly connected to the floor, and rodsslidably mounted in said legs and universally secured to the tableboard, the swinging movement of the rods in one direction being lessthan in another.

2. A self leveling table comprising a table board, means for supportingthe table board for universal movement, legs disposed in fixed positionunder each end of the board, rods having their upper ends swivellyco'nnected with the table boa-rd, said rods being slidably connected tothe legs, and means for allowing greater swinging movement of the rodsin one direction than in another.

In testimony whereof, I aiiiX my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

CORN ELUS KERKHOF.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. CROWELL, ALONZO SYLVRETER.

Copiesvof this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

